South African’s spend an inordinate amount of time moaning about the high crime rate in the country, and then turn around, shrug their shoulders and say ‘Not my problem’.
The national crime stats were released two weeks ago and, although they show some improvement, these are not very comforting.
According to the Springs stats, carjacking numbers showed an improvement of 19 fewer cases, with 86 cases reported while there were 312 cases of theft out of or from a motor vehicle this year as opposed to 333 in the previous year – an improvement of 21 per cent.
Finally, in the category of “all theft not mentioned elsewhere,” 1 147 cases were reported this year, which is an improvement of 6.7 per cent from the previous year’s 1 229 reported cases.
Why, you might ask, am I harping on these crimes when they are certainly not the most serious or violent crimes in the country? The answer is simple: people seem to refuse to take responsibility for their possessions and then blame the criminals or police when their goods are stolen.
A reader wrote to us last week to tell us she had been the victim of a smash-and-grab.
This wasn’t all too surprising but what got me thinking was the following:
• We at the Advertiser have published several articles about smash-and-grab crime being prevalent at this intersection.
She, in fact, mentioned this in her note so we know she was aware of the situation at that intersection.
• She refused to put her bag away saying: “Do not tell me to put the handbags away. This is like telling farmers to move away from their farm because soon they are going to be murdered,” so one might assume she left it where it was easily seen and accessible.
• According to her, the police are solely at fault for her dilemma.
This begs the question: If she knew she was entering a high crime area and still refused to safeguard her property, can she really blame anyone but herself for the fact that her window was smashed and she was robbed?
I realise this may seem a tad insensitive, but it seems that while we moan about crime we are reluctant to take the necessary measures to keep ourselves and our possessions safe where we can.
Let’s face it, criminals are opportunistic. They want to steal your goods with as little effort and ‘work’ as possible – so if you leave goods where they can see and steal them, they are going to be taken.
Being intransigent and refusing to hide valuables really is an invitation and a challenge which thieves interpret to be: “Can you steal my bags before the robot turns green?”
The argument could be made that there should be a higher police presence in the area but then why should they protect you when you can’t be bothered to take responsibility for yourself or the necessary steps to protect your property?
With apologies to Benjamin Franklin, let’s remember “God helps those who help themselves.” Perhaps the same could be said of the police who should be tracking down murderers and rapists rather than standing at robots ensuring the safety of the items you have been too obstinate to hide in the boot for safekeeping.
The bottom line really is that it’s time to stop griping long enough to take care of your own stuff, and teach your children to do the same because in the cold harsh light of reality a stolen handbag is a far greater risk to your safety than you might think.
Remember, once your handbag has been stolen, a myriad of things have to be replaced. These include your bank, ID, and driver’s licence cards as well as the locks to your house, if your keys and bills or statements revealing your address were in your bag.
Your unwillingness to play your part in combating crime could result in your falling victim to theft. Thieves can steal from your bank accounts, steal your identification document which can lead to fraud or, if those keys are used, invade your home which could place your life or the lives of your family in danger.
It takes but a moment in time to safeguard your bag (or other valuables) in the boot of your car. It is time that may land up saving your life.
So (wo)man up and take charge of your own life.
